Well, DS had a good first day. I was really encouraged when his teacher greeted me when I dropped him off and told me that she was "so glad" to have DS in her class. That's what I was really hoping for--that he would have a teacher who welcomed him.

I am so glad that the teacher offered those few simple words. IMO, it makes all the difference when the teacher actually wants the child. I hope the 2nd day of 2nd grade goes just as smoothly.

Yeah!!

I'll keep you posted, but hopefully there will be nothing dramatic to post.

YEAH!!!! On great 1st days!

Glad to hear it!

JB

I agree with Crisc and I'm glad his teacher is so welcoming! We've always really lucked out there. One teacher, while not totally on board with the whole skip mentality DID however welcome DS into her class.

So far so good this year for us as well! We have a few minor glitches, but overall our current scheduling is WAY more straight forward than last year's ridiculous mid-year 6 day rotation super-imposed over a 5 day rotation, . Everyone has been very supportive for us as well.

Best wishes Cathy!

I was wondering how it was going for your DS, Dottie. So it seems like a good fit for him?

Thanks for the update! I like keeping up with "our" kids.

I only have feedback from 2 days mind you, so it's WAY too early to tell about the math. But I think overall it will be a good experience for him to have more involved homework, more accountability, more responsibility, etc. He needs to prove himself in this role before any future changes can be considered. For me, it's a much needed "break" in the advocacy! And I'm still hoping that this will work for the duration... .

There WAS what I call "paparazzi" fallout, as was expected, but I think it's dying down fast this time. It's like a dampened wave function that peaks again with each new change, but not as high, at least from our perspective. DD13 is handling it beautifully as well.

Glad it went well, Cathy! I think my DS6's first day of 2nd went okay - what little I can squeeze out of him in conversation He did say that a lot of the other kids already knew each other so he hasn't really engaged much with the other kids - but I'm not sure I should be concerned at this point about it... He said it didn't bother him...

Oh, I just noticed your post Dottie. I'm happy this year is much less chaotic for your DS and that you've made leaps and bounds with the support. It's nice to see that advocacy pays off in the long run

Hey, all, I've been out of town and just catching up. Congrats on the positive first days so far, It sounds great!

I'm glad DD13 is doing well with your DS's skip, too, Dottie. I know that was a concern, and I'm happy it doesn't seem to be a problem. Yay!

I love it when a plan comes together!

Thanks Jool! I was a little concerned today, the first day of homework when it seemed he had a few problems wrong. Turns out, I really shouldn't use DD13's (gets home an hour earlier) paper as an "answer key", .

Thanks Kriston...it's not entirely "problem free" from her standpoint, but she's handling it pretty well. Hopefully she won't need couch time down the road, as we really do feel this was the best available solution to our interesting problem.

We're in a surprisingly unique position though, as I continue to get daily updates from DD13 from many of her 9th grade peers. Most kids are nice, and if not supportive, then not unsupportive. But we have had a few tales of snide remarks and the like. Fortunately it's water off a duck's back as far as DS9 is concerned. We wouldn't even know about these comments if not for DD13 and her extensive collection of friends. I do feel though that DS has an added layer of protection surrounding him because of her.

I think it's a very good solution, and I really hope it continues to work well. A few snide comments are to be expected. Heck, kids who don't accelerate are liable to attract a few of those! That sounds like business as usual to me. Nothing of concern whatsoever. And that's good news.

I like good news!

And none of it bothers DS anyway! DD13 told a tale of another 9th grader who went crying into the bathroom after what she didn't even perceive to be a "snide comment". Personality plays a big role, and DS really has a good one for his situation.

I do think he was just a wee bit nervous though, as my "high school boy" slept with his Mama the night before the big first day, . He hasn't done that much lately.

(shhhh, don't let my admins know about that last part!)

LOL! That's sweet, Dottie!

LOL! They'll always be our babies, won't they?

That's okay by me!

Nothing to report today except skinned knee at recess.

Update: DS reports that kids kept asking him how old he is. He told them 5 1/2 but they said, "No, you're not!" and insisted that you have to be at least 6 to be in 2nd grade. His solution? He said, "Oh, I was just kidding. I'm 6 1/2." That seemed to satisfy them.

He told me this kind of sheepishly on the way home from school as if he thought I would be upset about him lying. But I said that how old people are isn't that important, so if he wants to tell them he's 6 1/2, it doesn't matter to me.

I don't know if that was the right thing to say or not, but it seemed like the right thing at the time.

I think it's fine. The day after DS12 turned 4, someone asked him his age -
"I'll be 5 on my next birthday."
He started fibbing about his age soon after that - IF he thought he could get away with it.

The "right thing at the time" is definitely the way to go. We've gone through all sorts of mutations of the "how old is DS?" question! He's such an enigma at the high school, that no one really knows for sure. (It doesn't help that his sister doesn't correct erroneous information!)

And his Lego League coach, no matter how many times I tell him the correct age, just adds a few more years in time. It's pretty funny watching his shocked expression whenever the issue comes up (again).

I can't remember how DS answered those questions early on, but for now, he pretty much sticks to the truth and shrugs his shoulders at disbelief. Even DD11's teachers didn't believe her when she first talked about our unusual situation.

Good. I feel better about it. Lying wouldn't occur to me, and I'm a terrible liar, but if it works for DS, I guess that's ok.